Teamwork and Diversity
by LouiseKurylo
Summary: Why should I get up in the morning? If Jane's so brilliant, let him do it all! Any why am I taking c*** from the rest of CBI defending him? How do four pretty-normal CBI agents comfortably work with one decidedly extraordinary mentalist? Here's my answer.
1. Chapter 1

**Who:** Jane, Lisbon, Cho, Rigsby, Van Pelt

**What**: A seminar, a discussion, a retreat

**When:** After several years with Jane at CBI

**Where:** CBI and a retreat at Lake Tahoe, NV

**Why:** How do can Jane work comfortably with a team of four normal CBI agents?

* * *

Why should I get up in the morning? If Jane's so brilliant, let him do it all! And why should I take c*** to defend him?

* * *

**Chapter 1 - Arguing With Morons**

Back from the CBI weapons seminar, Cho slammed his desk drawer shut.

Rigsby looked up, "What'd that drawer ever do to you?"

"I'm tired of taking crap from morons."

"Who are you and what did you do with Kimball Cho? Since when do you give a damn about what anyone says? ...Who's saying what, anyhow?"

Cho sighed, irritated. "Asses like Johnson keep ragging on our unit. If I answer, I'm arguing with morons. If I don't answer, it's like I agree."

"I don't get a lot of crap from them. Who're they ragging on? Jane?"

"Yeah."

"Uh, don't you think Jane can take care of himself?"

"Not behind his back. They mock him for being afraid of guns–"

"Which he is."

"–and call him a coward."

"Which he isn't. So what? No other unit's got close rates like ours. They can't attack success so they snipe at Jane."

His Ice Man mask slipping back into place, "Just tired of it."

Cho got up and briskly walked toward the men's room. He brushed against Jane who was walking in the opposite direction. Cho's frosty glance was equivalent to a tirade by anyone else.

Jane pivoted and looked at Cho as he walked away, interest piqued. To Rigsby, "What's got Cho going?"

Rigsby glanced up, then away. "Nothing."

_Hmm. Usually he'd say. Not now. About me? What's new? Seminar. Bingo! Getting to Cho, it matters. Do something?_ Jane's read occurred instantly, automatically.


	2. Chapter 2 - Teamwork!

**Chapter 2 - Teamwork?**

Two weeks later, Lisbon and her team were eating lunch at O'Reilly's. They had just solved the casino employee's murder and rescued the fianceé of Jane's stage magician friend.

"Come on. Tell me you didn't enjoy the casino heist. Gave your non-cop side some fun," teased Jane.

"Only because it worked and we returned the money before getting caught," replied Rigsby.

"Nice letting us in on the plan ahead of time," Cho opined acerbically. "Usually you brilliantly solve the case on your own, hoping we're nearby to keep the killer from offing you."

Jane frowned and looked puzzled. "What's your point?"

"I've never known anyone more resistant to teamwork–especially when you first started here," Cho responded.

"I work with you, rely on all of you in solving cases."

"Come on, Jane," Van Pelt chided, "Admit it. You really like flying solo."

Genuinely intrigued, "That's weird. That's what my father said when I was 13. It was a two-man show. He'd yank my chain when I'd ad lib a psychic reading in the middle of the act."

"Yes, you do tend to go off script," confirmed Lisbon sweetly. Amused and curious, she asked, "Jane, what's teamwork mean to you, anyhow?"

He leaned back and drank some soda. "Well, 'team' implies a group with a shared objective. 'Teamwork' involves everyone contributing to reach the goal."

Lisbon smiled, "That's a start, but you're missing the framework. What about the shared plan everyone knows in advance? Think about any team you've ever been on. Don't they all work that way?"

He scratched his head. "Huh. –Lisbon, quick, name three teams you've been on other than CBI."

"Umm, high school band. Debate club. Church home repair groups."

"Cho?"

"Baseball and wrestling. The Army Rangers."

"Rigsby?"

"Uh, arson investigation squad. College honor court. Basketball."

"Van Pelt?"

"Cheerleading. Computer science club. Church kitchen for meals for the homeless."

Jane, reflectively, "Common element? They're all linked to larger organizations–school, church, employer, military. When I was growing up? No organizations."

"You went to school," Lisbon countered.

"Carny kids don't buy in. There's always an 'us versus them' vibe. You don't find them in sports or extracurricular activities."

"Church?" offered Van Pelt.

"Ahh, not my metier. Also, traveling the carny circuit doesn't make for regular attendance much less joining project teams."

"So you've never been on teams?" hazarded Cho.

"What about carny life?" challenged Rigsby. "Umm, trapeze acts, high wire acts–they _have to_ involve teamwork."

"That's more circus than carny. Even then, those acts are almost always family‑based." corrected Jane. "Carnivals are collections of individual shows. There is no team."

"That finally begins to make sense," mused Lisbon. "So, you didn't experience teams growing up. And, as an adult?"

He shrugged, "Pretty much individual. Stage show. Psychic readings."

"Jane, you've gotten better over the years–" Lisbon started.

"Yeah, remedial teamwork," snorted Cho.

"–but I see you may not have a lot of experience to draw on," Lisbon finished, ignoring Cho.

Jane leaned back, drumming his fingers on the table. "You're hanging a lot on this teamwork notion. We _had_ to have a plan to hunt Red John's mole in the CBI and to carry out the heist. But most of our cases don't lend themselves to a plan."

"Not the way you like to work," responded Cho.

"No," Jane disagreed sharply, "not because of my preference. Because that's what's needed to solve the case. Here. We start a case. Usually there are several suspects and a bunch of possibilities as to what happened, right?"

"Okay."

"As we gather evidence, more suspects and possibilities are generated. Some are eliminated. The probabilities of the rest rise and fall, depending on what we uncover. It's like a twenty-horse race." The four looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"Go on," Lisbon nudged.

"How can there be _one _plan shared by the team when there are dozens of possibilities? I set up tests to see how people react. I _often_ don't know which will pan out. If we had to settle on a_ single_ plan, it might have, oh, one chance in five of targeting the right suspect."

Rigsby, cautiously, "You're saying you don't know till the case is pretty far along how it will work out?"

"Of course! Remember Linus Wagner? You all were ticked off at me for not telling you I suspected him. Actually, I kind of thought he _wasn't_ the killer. So, yes, I set a trap, but wasn't sure he was guilty."

"That's why you don't lay it out beforehand?" demanded Cho.

"Yes. Also, lots of times it's just a hunch. My evidence isn't the kind you guys like."

"True. I'm frequently amazed at what you consider relevant," Lisbon reflected.

"Often it would take longer to _explain_ a hunch than check it out. I'd never get anywhere if I had to convince you to take my ideas seriously. In fact, a lot of hunches _don't_ work out. It's the nature of hunches."

They sat silently for a while, letting his explanation sink in.

"Jane," Van Pelt finally offered, "I really appreciate your telling us this. It makes a lot more sense."

"Isn't it obvious? Not the details, but the general approach?"

"No," replied Lisbon gently. "You definitely have a unique approach." She was glad Jane had explained at length. It took the sting out of his typical secrecy, simplifying her job of fostering team cohesion.


	3. Chapter 3 - The Speech

**Chapter 3 - The Speech**

"Boss, we were wondering. Have you seen this memo about the CBI retreat?" asked Cho, stepping into Lisbon's office.

"What memo?" Lisbon read silently after Cho handed it to her. She swallowed, "This is the first I've heard. I'll check it out."

"We'd appreciate it," Cho answered. He hesitated as if to add more, then thought better of it and left.

* * *

Lisbon climbed the stairs to the loft where Jane spent much of his time.

"Hello, Lisbon. To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?" he asked, looking up from the file he was reading.

She handed him the memo. "Do you know anything about this?"

"Sure. Couple of weeks ago human resources asked if I would speak on diversity and teamwork. It's that CBI retreat thing at Lake Tahoe next week. I'm not an agent and they thought I might have a different take. I figure I have something to contribute and said 'yes.'"

Lisbon stood stock still for several seconds, mouth slightly open. "Jane, you're planning to address half the CBI employees and you didn't mention it?"

"We got busy with the case and I forgot. Seriously, I think I have something of value to offer–not just to benefit our unit, but the whole CBI. What's the harm?"

"Jane, you usually have something of value to offer. I just want to be able to keep working for CBI when you're done."

He closed the folder, leaned back in his chair and looked hard at her. "You're actually worried, aren't you?"

"Yes. I am. We all are."

"Everyone in the office right now?" Lisbon nodded. "Let's go downstairs and talk."

"Lisbon tells me you have concerns about my presentation next week."

"Why wouldn't we?" asked Cho.

"You do have a tendency to make enemies," observed Van Pelt.

"Yeah. We have to work with these people. We don't need it to be any harder," added Rigsby.

"Look. I know you get crap from the other agents because of me. The reason I agreed to speak is to make it better. I might even help CBI be more effective."

"Jane, it seems like a huge, unnecessary risk," opined Lisbon. "Any way you can back out?"

"I'd rather not. Backing out would look bad and leave HR in the lurch. I think I have a useful perspective." Everyone sat in silence. "I see you're not convinced. How about this? I invite you to a closed patio dinner at a hotel in the Tahoe area on Thursday night. I'll go over what I plan to present. If you have problems with what I plan to say, I'll change it or drop it–your call."

"Each one of us can weigh in?" demanded Cho.

"Yes."

"And you promise to fix whatever problems we see?" asked Rigsby.

"Yes."

Lisbon looked around, silently gauging the group's reaction. "Jane, I think we can work with that. Thursday night at Tahoe. You're _sure_ you can make any changes in time for your Friday presentation?" Jane nodded. "And you will go _out of your way_ to avoid making new enemies?"

Jane nodded again. "Have some faith. Every one of you has risked your life to save my neck. I'm not going to make it harder for you. I _am_ going to make it better."

* * *

Lisbon, Cho, Rigsby and Van Pelt each got a written invitation from Jane for the event–open bar, appetizers and dinner on the patio around a heated pool at a nice resort in Lake Tahoe. Jane requested two hours of their time to go over the presentation, after which they were welcome to have guests join them for dinner.

"Whoa, this is nice," observed Rigsby as they walked in.

"I hope he's not lulling us into complacency before our doom."

"Lighten up, Cho. Jane can pull it off. He can pull damn near anything off," Van Pelt said optimistically.

"Thank you for giving me the benefit of the doubt," said Jane walking up to greet them.

"Do you have a copy of your speech printed out, or anything?" asked Rigsby.

"No," Jane shook his head, wincing at the thought. "You never write out a speech. It sounds stilted, canned. We'll go over the ideas I want to get across and make sure you're all comfortable. Before we begin, go get your drinks and appetizers." The three agents left for the bar and appetizer buffet.

"Jane, this is really fancy," Lisbon said, worried.

"A bit. It's a private, closed event. Relax! Even CBI can't complain about my spending my own money."

"This must cost thousands."

"About eight."

"Jane!"

He smiled. "The Reno casinos are paying for it. All it took was a few hours of blackjack at several casinos." She looked alarmed and he added, "Nothing that would attract attention. Besides, what else is there to do at three in the morning?"

"Most people sleep."

"Would if I could. At least it was fun. Stop worrying and enjoy yourself."

The group clustered around Jane, seated at a couple of patio tables.

"Before I go over the presentation, let me say a few things to you as colleagues. I know I create headaches for you and I often get credit for team accomplishments. I admit I don't fight too hard against that. Being seen as exotic and successful preserves my running room. I have more flexibility by _not _coming across as just another agent with a consultant's ID."

"What's your point?" asked Cho.

"We were talking about teamwork a few weeks ago. I think you four forget just how much _you_ bring to the table. It's easy to overlook because so many at CBI have similar talents. Let me demonstrate. -Cho, you're a marksman. How long would it take me to become one?

"You'd never get there. You flinch at gunfire. It messes up the aim."

"Exactly! I have neither the interest nor talent. Rigsby, you hold your own in a brawl. What would it take for me to do that?"

"Uh, no offense, Jane, but you're not a massive guy. Maybe if you picked up judo or some other hand-to-hand technique."

"Rigs, I don't think that would do it," disagreed Cho. "You have to _like_ mixing it up physically. I don't think you'd ever enjoy it, Jane."

"Right you are, Cho. I spent too many years getting beat up as a teenager. I'd win at poker or pool with older guys. It took a while to calibrate how much I could win and still get them to pay up, not beat me up. -Van Pelt, how long would it take me to gain computer expertise?"

"Gee, Jane. I'd never say you _couldn't_ do it. But there's a lot of protocol stuff that would bore you out of your mind. And you have to keep up with it because it keeps changing. You _could_ do it, but I doubt you would."

"Very astute. It's easier to get you to do it for me than gain the skills myself. –Lisbon, dear Lisbon. What would I have to do to be at ease and welcome in the bureaucracy?"

"A personality transplant would be just the thing. Otherwise, it's not going to happen," she smiled, shaking her head.

"Those examples were at my expense. Here's the other side. I show up on CBI's doorstep with all sorts of exotic skills. What you don't see is the _decades_ I spent gaining those skills. There's no mystery. I've just spent my years becoming skilled in areas different from CBI agents. –Cho, how many hours a day would you be willing to spend mastering card tricks?"

"For how many weeks?"

"Think years, my friend, years. –Rigsby, how comfortable are you deceiving people?"

"Not very. Don't think I ever would be."

"Of course. It's not just practice, but personality, values. –Van Pelt, to get the reactions I need to read people, I'm often rude, sometimes mean or even cruel. How willing are you to do that?"

"I'm not. I'm uncomfortable when _you_ do it."

"And Lisbon, how happy are you breaking rules and working ad hoc?"

"You know the answer. Not happy at all."

"Whereas I enjoy it."

"We know."

"My point? You bring a wealth of skills and knowledge to the team-marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat, criminal law, computers, explosives, weapons, forensics, tactics, leadership, politics, and so on. These are taken for granted because they're common at CBI. I stand out because few in CBI have my skills. Much of my usefulness comes from the greater range of knowledge and skills for solving cases."

"So?" asked Rigsby.

"My usefulness is heightened because I'm _different–_not_ better_. Because of that difference, I get credit for the team's success. I may have a unique approach to investigations, but without your work I wouldn't have the information needed to figure anything out. Further, I'm only willing to put myself in a room with armed criminals because I'm confident you will handle the bad guys. Think about it."

"Jane, about the presentation?" reminded Lisbon.

"Yes, the presentation. I have two goals. I want to correct the public impression so our whole team gets credit, not mainly me. And, I want to offer CBI different ways of thinking about investigations to make it more flexible and effective."

Jane continued, "I'll start with a nod to CBI's illustrious history. To get the audience on my side, I have to acknowledge the essential investigative skills needed for crime-solving–the things CBI excels in. Next, I'll talk about my perspective as an outsider. I'll mention my different background, but emphasize how the whole team is necessary to solve cases. And that directly transitions to diversity."

"Jane, you'll stay away from mentioning names, right?" cautioned Lisbon.

"And go easy on the con artist skills, okay?" Cho asked.

"No names, except my own. And, yes, I'll stick with my unusual, but legal, contributions–reading people and memory skills for example. There are four areas I want to talk about. Diversity. The need to see beyond expertise. Flexibility throughout a case. And last, the value of _all_ evidence."

"Won't the audience identify individuals from the examples?" asked Van Pelt.

"That doesn't have to be a problem," interjected Lisbon. "If an audience member already knows the story, nothing new is revealed. The trick is keeping it general enough so people who don't know can't guess."

"So I'll keep it general enough. Now, diversity. The narrow, legal definition emphasizes age, race, gender, and religious affiliation. I want to include a much wider range of traits-culture, economic class, occupation, ethnic background, disability or gifted status, sexual orientation, and so on. Each has been important in solving a case of ours. The CBI tends to attract similar people. But there's an advantage to more-diverse teams. At the very least, differences should be valued, not disparaged."

He continued, "The same with knowledge and skill sets. Look at the odd bits of knowledge that have been useful. Baseball scouting, Shakespear, compassionate hunter ethos, biker and ethnic gang culture, fine art, military insignia, jazz, animal behavior, and black markets in nuclear materials, biological weapons, and human organs. The same thing for skill sets. High-level computer skills, financial trading, poker and blackjack, reading people, arson analysis, memorization, and reading directional cues among others. Any problem so far?"

"So far, so good," encouraged Lisbon.

"I'll give a few examples. Cho was familiar with Korean gang culture. That helped in figuring out who killed David Seung. Rigsby's arson expertise has been critical in several cases, including the murders of the former national guardsmen buddies by fire, and my abduction by Rachel Bowman. My familiarity with Shakespear helped nail that tech CEO. My acquaintance with _Moby Dick_ was the clue that proved Tommy wasn't retarded and could be the murderer. Van Pelt's computer expertise has helped solve a bunch of cases, including the McTier murder case. Lisbon's familiarity with jazz kept us from charging the wrong man for that photographer's murder. The more diverse a team, its knowledge, and skills, the better."

"No, land mines in that," commented Rigsby.

Lisbon sighed. "Just be politically correct if you talk about race, disability or ethnicity, please."

"Sure. My next point is the need to keep expertise from being a straightjacket. I've always thought it's harder to overcome your strengths than your weaknesses. Haffner and Bosco come to mind. Haffner found relying on his surveillance background irresistible. It tripped him up. It was predictable and unsuited to the problem–me, that is. A related flaw is managers who straightjacket their staff. Haffner only wanted to hear answers to his questions. He shut down Van Pelt's insights on the Kuzmenko case, insights which helped us solve it. As for Bosco, he was so hung up on the standard CBI approach he couldn't even listen to other ideas."

"Uh, Jane," started Lisbon.

"I know. No names, no identifiable details."

"Good."

"My third point is flexibility, the need to keep an open mind throughout the case. An investigation isn't helped by latching on to one scenario early on. Several cases illustrate this. Tommy proved to be the killer at the end against all expectations because everyone believed him to be retarded. Another is the Carnelian case. The CEO wasn't a suspect till very late."

"Whatever you choose, stay away from anything too far out or anything that got us into political hot water, okay?" Lisbon requested.

"Okay. Finally, I want to encourage the CBI to consider _all_ evidence, not just that which will stand up in court."

"Jane-" Lisbon started.

"Touchy subject, I know. I'm not going to trash the requirements for acceptable legal evidence. Just emphasize that it's necessary to look at _all_ evidence. If agents understand how the crime occurred, it's easier to look for supporting evidence that _will_ stand up in court. Tommy's _Moby Dick_ book was irrelevant to the court case, but pivotal in figuring it out. That gold feather in the fashion designer murder would be another example. I want agents to pay attention to their hunches, too. Often, you know far more than you can rationally explain. I believe the audience will be familiar with Gavin de Becker, the private security luminary who champions that point."

"Be sure to finish up with the need for evidence that _will_ stand up in court," Lisbon cautioned.

"That, my friends, is an overview of the main points. Cho, Rigsby, Van Pelt, are you comfortable with a presentation along these lines? What do you want me to change or drop?"

"I'm okay," said Van Pelt.

"So long as you stay away from names and identifying details, it should be all right," admitted Cho.

"I appreciate your giving more credit to the team, Jane," said Rigsby.

"The topic _is_ diversity and _team_work, after all. -Lisbon?"

"Just be careful, okay? What you outlined is fine."

"Thank you all for listening. Go enjoy yourselves. Feel free to bring in any guests. Oh, I forgot to mention, the pool is available for our exclusive use till midnight."

The agents drifted away, finally comfortable with Jane's speech.

"Jane, a word, please," asked Lisbon, hanging back.

"Yes?"

"Thank you. You're going out of your way to publicly acknowledge the whole team. I think they really appreciate it. That's kind and generous."

"Teresa, it's no such thing. I mean every word. And it is very muchin my self-interest. Remember all those criminals with guns they keep saving me from?"

"Pretend all you like, but you are revealed as kind and generous. As though your different background is the main reason you solve cases. Please!"

"That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Let's go enjoy dinner."


End file.
